


My Journey Has Taken Me To You

by SummerStormFlower



Series: Snow and Hippies [1]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Family, Gray doesn't know where he's going, M/M, Natsu is a hippie, Parent Death, Running away from home, picking up hitchhikers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-28
Updated: 2019-07-28
Packaged: 2020-07-24 00:33:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,888
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20017327
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerStormFlower/pseuds/SummerStormFlower
Summary: Gray's mom has just died. He can't deal with her funeral, so he runs away. A few days later, he picks up a hitchhiker named Natsu, who may or may not have a cute face.





	My Journey Has Taken Me To You

It was too much too soon. Ur had only died a week ago, and already people were coming over to offer condolences and pity chocolates. Already Ultear was talking about their mother's funeral. Already Lyon was asking who they should send invitations to. Already Juvia was trying to get him to come back to work.

Gray didn't know how they were doing it--how they could handle it. All of it. He'd went back to work two days ago, only to break down crying in the washroom. He'd tried to help his sister plan the funeral, but the words always got stuck in his throat. He'd tried helping his brother write the invitations, but his hand always wobbled and his writing looked horrible. They never said anything, but Gray was sure they were annoyed with him.

She'd been in a car accident. The road had been icy, it was hard to see, and there'd been a drunk driver. When they first received the news, Ultear had cried for hours, and Lyon had paced around her living room, yelling. Gray had felt numb. He sat on the couch with his arm draped over Ultear's shoulders, while watching Lyon. Eventually Ultear had fallen asleep against him, and Lyon had sat down on the floor, exhaustion seeping into his bones, soon falling asleep against Gray's legs. Gray had stayed up, but it hadn't felt like he was awake at all.

Gray went to Juvia's house the next day. Juvia had been his best friend since elementary school, and her dad had died before she turned sixteen, so he figured she'd know what he was going through. She gave him a sad smile, guided him to the sofa, and went into the kitchen to make him some tea. The twins were watching a movie, but they'd come out of Juvia's bedroom when they heard their Uncle Gray's voice, and climbed onto his lap. Gray immediately felt a little better, holding two babies to his chest, listening to the familiar sound of them sucking on their pacifiers, and Juvia moving about in the kitchen. It had a somehow comforting affect.

Juvia said things would get easier after awhile. How long was 'awhile'?

Never? Because things were only getting harder, and Gray was starting to think his life would never be normal again.

And that was why he was sitting in his car in the middle of the night, clothes and a box of granola bars in the backseat, and a wallet full of cash in his pocket. He turned on the ignition, backed out of his driveway, and started driving. He didn't know what he was doing, or where he was going, but he didn't care. He needed to get out of this town.

After driving on the highway for an hour or so, he realized absentmindedly that his siblings were going to freak out when they couldn't find him. He should probably feel guilty, or concerned at the very least, but he couldn't feel anything.  
__________________________________________________________

Two days later, Gray saw a hitchhiker on the side of the road. A young man with pink hair sticking out of a bandanna, dressed in a big winter jacket and ripped jeans. He didn't stop, of course. He'd never picked up a hitchhiker in his life.

When he stopped for gas and some food though, he ran into the pink-haired man again. He was sitting on the snowy ground, arm wrapped around his stomach, and face scrunched up in pain.

"Here," Gray said, handing an egg salad sandwich to him.

The young man looked up, blinking in surprise. Then he grinned, eyes lighting up, and Gray felt his heart do a flip. This guy was cute. Like, really cute.

"Thanks!" he said, taking the sandwich gratefully. He tore open the wrapping, smiling serenely as he took a bite. He looked like he hadn't eaten in days.

"Where are you headed?" Gray asked, sitting down beside the man.

The man shrugged. "Don't know. Anywhere, I guess." Gray's heart did another flip, heat filling his cheeks, when the man grinned at him again. "I'm on a journey."

"An journey?" Gray asked, finding himself wanting to smile too when the man's grin widened.

"Yeah. Like a gypsy. Or a nomad. A gypsy-nomad journey."

Gray huffed a laugh. "Interesting name for it."

"Well, that's what it is! It's a journey of travelling!"

Gray laughed again. "A journey is a period of travelling."

"Whatever. Everything means the same thing," the man pouted, and Gray had to stifle another laugh. Then he smiled. "Where you headed?"

Gray deflated, his laughter dying down, feeling his headache and the ache in his bones returning. "I don't know."

The man frowned, noticing the change in Gray's demeanor. "You on a journey too?'

"No," Gray sighed, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a good night's sleep. "I'm running away. You could say, I guess."

A hesitant smirk appeared on the man's lips, teasing words sitting uncertainly on his tongue. "You're running away at your age?"

Gray laughed a little, and the man's hesitation disappeared. "Yeah. I am," Gray replied. He was twenty-two and running away from home. That did sound pretty silly.

Suddenly, the man held out his hand. "I'm Natsu."

After a moment's thought, Gray grasped Natsu's hand and shook it, the contact making his chest feel funny. "I'm Gray."

And then somehow, the conversation lead to Gray offering Natsu a ride, and Natsu accepting with that grin of his that made Gray's heart do cartwheels.  
_______________________________________________________

They spent hours just talking while Gray drove. Natsu could go on about the dumbest things forever. He definitely wasn't the brightest, but Gray didn't mind. It was cute when he tried to use big words.

Natsu was sweet too. He loved animals, and the environment, and looking at the stars. He spoke fondly of a little sister named Wendy starting high school, and his eyes always portrayed his worry when he talked about his sick older brother. He got excited talking about food--candy in particular. 

Gray found himself laughing more, and smiling twice as much. Having a companion was nice. (Or was it nice because that companion was Natsu?)

They bickered about silly things, jammed to an old Elton John CD that Gray stole from Lyon when they kids, and Gray listened intently when Natsu told him about his dreams. The guy was so much like a child, filled with endless hope for the future. His brown eyes held so much wonder.

Gray also discovered that Natsu was an awful flirt. He was awkward, and tense, and nervous, yet adorable at the same time. And Gray was easily flattered. It didn't take more than a few words to have Gray a jittery, blushing mess. It made Natsu smirk.

One night, when they parked on the side of the road, looking at the stars through the car window, Gray suddenly wanted his mom to meet Natsu. He felt an overwhelming sadness wash over him--wash over his whole body. It hurt everywhere.

He missed baking brownies with Ur in the kitchen. He missed her screaming at the TV when they watched football. He missed going ice skating with her. He missed everything about her.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked, gently taking his hand, "Why are you crying?"

"N-nothing," Gray responded wetly, pulling his knee up to his chest.

"It's not nothing," Natsu said, his other hand combing through Gray's hair.

It reminded Gray of when he was nine and how his mom would run her fingers through his hair when he was sad.

"Come here," Natsu then said, wrapping his arms around Gray and pulling him into a hug.

Gray sobbed against his chest, telling him about Ur, about the funeral, about Lyon and Ultear who were probably flipping their shit, thinking he'd been kidnapped or something. It all poured out of him, bursting out of the bottle he had tried to contain it in. It felt good and bad to let it all out. He cried so hard, he almost couldn't breathe. But Natsu rubbed his back and squeezed his hand through his tears. Natsu rocked him in his arms and ran his fingers through his hair. Natsu pressed kisses to his cheek, and made him feel safe, and it made things just a little bit better.

"You should go home," Natsu whispered in his hair, "Home to your brother and sister."

Gray sniffled, and nodded. "I know." He didn't miss Ultear and Lyon like he missed their mother, but there were two empty spots in his heart that were starting to feel cold.

Natsu then tipped his chin up, staring into his eyes softly, staring straight through him. Gray's soul felt the love in Natsu's gaze, the affection that'd been blossoming between the two of them. Gray didn't know who leaned in first. He only knew that the moment their lips met, was the moment all the stars, and planets, and galaxies aligned. 

"Will you come with me?" Gray whispered against Natsu's lips when they pulled apart.

"Sure thing," Natsu replied before leaning in for another magical kiss.  
__________________________________________________________

"Gray!" Ultear shouted, throwing her arms around Gray and hugging him tightly the instant he was out of the car.

"You bastard!" Lyon yelled angrily, shoulders tense, but his expression gave away his true emotions; his panic, his worry, his relief. "Where the hell have you been?!" His voice cracked and his eyes watered. He hugged Gray's other side, inhaling a shaky breath.

"You scared us," Ultear whispered in the crook of Gray's neck.

Guilt consumed Gray. He felt like the biggest jerk in the universe. "I'm sorry," he said, hugging Ultear and Lyon back.

Natsu stood by the car, watching them with a smile.

After they've had their heartfelt reunion, Gray introduced Natsu to his siblings, flushing shyly when Natsu put his arm around his waist. Lyon and Ultear were surprised at first, but all it took was coffee and lunch for them to grow to like him. Natsu earned people's trust quickly, so Gray wasn't alarmed.

Ultear called Juvia, who was at Gray's door with the twins in less than a minute. Gray ended up with the three of them sobbing in his arms, the babies' snot on his shirt, sooner than expected, but he couldn't very well complain.

They spent the whole afternoon and evening at Gray's house. The twins loved Natsu instantly, climbing on top of him, playing with his bandanna, and poking at his stomach when his shirt rode up. Natsu loved them right away too. Gray wasn't shocked by how good Natsu was with children. It made a lot of sense.

Juvia went home after supper when the twins began to get tired, and Lyon and Ultear left around eleven.

Gray and Natsu stayed up for half an hour, holding hands, and watching the snow fall through the window. 

"Thank you for coming with me," Gray said, leaning his head on Natsu's shoulder.

Natsu pressed a tiny kiss to his lips. "I'm happy you asked me."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I'll stay here for as long as you want me to."

"What about your journey?"

Natsu grinned then, brushing their noses together. Gray's heart fluttered, cheeks turning pink. "This is where my journey has taken me."

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this! I was just thinking about Natsu being a hippie yesterday, and then this popped in my head. Feel free to let me know what you thought of it!


End file.
